Photo: VitaleBaby at en.wikipedia · Public domainOn CDC estimates, Speers is healthier than 42% of U.S. towns
Speers differs from Pennsylvania on 9 of 26 measures CDC estimates: 3 better, 6 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Speers. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Speers
Arthritis, cancer and heart disease run high in Speers
2 in 5 adults have arthritis (39.6%), vs 30.4% across Pennsylvania. 1 in 9 adults have had cancer (11.2%), vs 8.8% across Pennsylvania. Heart disease is also above the state: 9.3%, vs 7.4% across Pennsylvania. In all, Speers runs above Pennsylvania on six of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 30% of residents are 65 or older (Pennsylvania 20%), and arthritis, cancer and heart disease are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
More high blood pressure in Speers, and more people treating it
39.3% of adults have high blood pressure (Pennsylvania 32.8%), but 82.4% of them take medicine for it, vs 79.2% statewide. Checkups ↓
Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the Pennsylvania figure falls outside Speers’ likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B+.
What’s behind Speers’ grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Speers is healthier than 42% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than 75% of U.S. towns); smoking pulls it down (better than 24%).
Health estimates follow income closely across the country: towns with higher household incomes usually score higher (a correlation of 0.77 across 21,157 graded towns). Speers’ median household income is $72,813; among the 10,708 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($55K–$91K), it’s healthier than 46%, about where its income would put it.
Where Speers compares well: taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure), 82.4% (U.S. 76.5%).
Out of every 100 Speers adults…
Speers runs below PA on 1 of 12 conditions and above it on 6. Tap one to see it as people.
Speers is an older town: 30% of residents are 65 or older, vs 20% across Pennsylvania. Heart disease, COPD and arthritis rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Speers as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Speers adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Pennsylvania.
Care in and near Speers
No hospital or community health center in Speers itself. These are the nearest.
Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Speers; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Everyday habits, side by side with Pennsylvania
Share of adults, with the Pennsylvania figure marked.
0.7 miles of trails across 1 park or preserve
How Speers adults are doing
About the same as Pennsylvania on each measure.
A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.
Speers and the towns around it
Speers’s Health Grade ranks 2nd of 3 graded towns around it.
Nearby towns are shaded from CDC’s estimates for their ZIP codes, or CDC’s own figure for cities and villages.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speers | C+ | 38.9% | 12.7% | 17.5% | CDC place |
| Twilight | — | — | — | — | |
| Rostraver Township | B− | 33.7% | 12.4% | 17.7% | ZIP codes |
| Long Branch | — | — | — | — | |
| Charleroi | D | 43.9% | 13.4% | 21.9% | CDC place |
| Dunlevy | — | — | — | — |
Twilight, Long Branch and Dunlevy: fewer than 1,000 residents. Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Speers adults live with a disability (Pennsylvania 31.3%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Speers
Share of adults, 33 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 26 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Speers is better than Pennsylvania on 3 and worse on 6; on the rest, the Pennsylvania figure falls inside Speers’ likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Speers | PA | U.S. | vs PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 19.8%17.7–22.2 | 18.7% | 19.4% | About the same |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 14.6%12.9–16.4 | 13.2% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 15.5%14–17.3 | 16.4% | 15.9% | About the same |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 38.9%32.4–46.2 | 33.8% | 32.9% | About the same |
| Diabetes | 12.7%11–14.7 | 11.6% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 39.3%35.2–43.9 | 32.8% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 36.4%31.8–41 | 33.8% | 37.1% | About the same |
| Arthritis | 39.6%35.6–43.8 | 30.4% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 11%9.7–12.4 | 10.6% | 9.9% | About the same |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 11.2%10.1–12.5 | 8.8% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.3%8.3–10.4 | 7.4% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 9.5%8.4–10.6 | 7.7% | 6.3% | Worse |
| Stroke | 4.3%3.9–4.8 | 3.7% | 3.4% | Worse |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 10.6%8.4–13 | 14.5% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 17.5%15.4–19.9 | 15.8% | 11.8% | About the same |
| No exercise outside work | 26.7%22.8–31.2 | 23.8% | 24.7% | About the same |
| Binge drinking | 17%14.1–20.5 | 18.3% | 15.4% | About the same |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 36.5%30.8–43 | 37.9% | 36% | About the same |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 5.9%4.5–7.6 | 5.8% | 11% | About the same |
| Checkup in the past year | 81.7%78.5–84.7 | 78.8% | 77.4% | About the same |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 66.3%62.8–69.8 | 64.4% | 63.2% | About the same |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 88.2%86.1–90.1 | 85.3% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 82.4%79.3–85.1 | 79.2% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 71.6%67.1–76 | 67.5% | 65.5% | About the same |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 75.9%68.5–82.6 | 77.7% | 76.4% | About the same |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 22.9%19.7–26.7 | 23% | 20.6% | About the same |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 34.7%30.7–39.1 | 31.3% | 30.1% | About the same |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 17%15–19.1 | 14.2% | 13.6% | Higher |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 13.7%12.2–15.3 | 14.1% | 13.9% | About the same |
| Hearing difficulty | 9.5%8.4–10.7 | 7.6% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 5.1%4.6–5.6 | 5.1% | 5.4% | About the same |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 8.5%7.6–9.4 | 8.2% | 7.9% | About the same |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 3.9%3.5–4.2 | 3.7% | 3.8% | About the same |
Each figure is the share of adults 18+ unless the label says otherwise; small numbers after it are CDC’s likely range (95% interval). “About the same” means the Pennsylvania figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Speers
Is Speers a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Speers is healthier than 42% of U.S. towns: ≈ C+ for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 46%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Speers?
CDC estimates 38.9% of adults have obesity, likely between 32.4% and 46.2%, against 33.8% across Pennsylvania and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Speers?
Penn Highlands Mon Valley in Monongahela, 4.5 miles in a straight line from Speers’ center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 1 of 5 stars.
How many people in Speers have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 5.9% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 4.5–7.6%), against 5.8% across Pennsylvania.
How accurate are these numbers?
They’re modeled estimates: CDC applies national survey answers to each area’s age, sex, race and education mix, so they describe who lives in Speers more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from D to B+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Speers.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Pennsylvania figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.